#3 Too Many Documents, Too Little Time: How A Small Local Newspaper Saved 80% of Research Time with AI. Lars Giske at iTromsø (Polaris Media)
How can a small Local Newsroom in Northern Norway take on one of Investigative journalism’s biggest challenges — and win?In this episode, we talk with Lars Adrian Giske, Head of AI at iTromsø, about how his team built Djinn — the Data Journalism Interface for News Gathering and Notification. This AI-powered tool is transforming how journalists work by surfacing the most newsworthy content from massive piles of public documents.From document overload to AI-powered discovery, Lars shares: The real problem behind FOIA delays and public archivesHow Djinn works to identify relevant stories in real timeWhy involving journalists from day one made all the differenceWhat happened when they scaled the tool across Polaris MediaHow AI is changing investigative journalism, ethics, and newsroom stressWhy the human element will always matter — even in an AI-driven futureHosted by Nils Ove Håland Riise, this conversation dives deep into the future of data-driven journalism, transparency in media, and the rise of AI in local newsrooms — with real-world results that are nothing short of amazing.Key Takeaways:Journalists face massive time waste from public document reviewAI can cut research time by up to 80%Localized AI models increase accuracyTrust, ethics, and collaboration matter more than everJournalists aren’t being replaced — they’re being empoweredThe human judgment behind every story is still irreplaceableChapters:00:00 – The Challenge of Document Overload06:05 – Introducing AI in Journalism12:02 – Building the DJINN Platform17:49 – Scaling DJINN Across Newsrooms23:56 – AI’s Role in Investigative Journalism30:13 – Impact on Storytelling and Transparency40:29 – The Role of AI in Journalism44:31 – Human Element in Journalism48:43 – Expanding AI Solutions in News52:07 – Human in the Loop: Balancing AI and Journalism56:55 – Short-Term Outlook on AI in Journalism01:01:26 – Future of AI Agents in News01:04:22 – Ethics and Technology in Journalism01:08:31 – Reflections on the Journey with AI01:14:35 – Navigating US Tech Influence on European JournalismAI in journalism, data-driven journalism, news gathering, investigative journalism, Djinn platform, iTromsø, local news innovation, transparency in media, machine learning, public documents, human element, ethical journalism, AI agents, media innovation, journalism challenges, data-driven news, future of journalism, newsroom AI🔥 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more episodes on AI, journalism, and the future of media.Where can you reach Lars Adrian Giske:Email:
[email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lars-adrian-giske-8a277576/